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7 Dec 2009 : Column 84W—continued
Radicalism
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which civil society organisations his Department has entered into partnerships and agreements to support the delivery of policies related to extremism in the last five years. [300480]
Mr. Hanson: Extremism may take many forms. As regards the community-based organisations undertaking work in support of the Prevent agenda, these are funded through Communities and Local Government. However, the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism Prevent Interventions Unit have also sponsored Prevent work with a range of community-based organisations during the past five years. This includes the funding of projects based on sports, education and mentoring in various environments.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what partnerships and initiatives designed to tackle the spread of extremism on the internet his Department has entered into with overseas authorities and agencies in the last 10 years. [300482]
Mr. Hanson: The Government are actively engaged in multilateral and bilateral discussions to explore options available to tackle online violent extremist material. For example, we participated actively in a year-long European project which has just been completed and are currently discussing a follow-up project with European partners. The Government are also assisting with the development of a Europol hosted web portal which is available to investigating agencies across the EU, to share information on open access terrorism related websites and content. Law enforcement agencies have also engaged with partner organisations on operational matters.
The internet hate crime action plan contains actions to improve co-operation with other states in addressing internet hate crime, including prejudice motivated extremism.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has evaluated on the root causes of extremism; and what steps he has taken to tackle them. [301467]
Mr. Hanson: Extremism takes many forms. Our assessment is that the main violent extremist threat to the UK is from al-Qaeda or al-Qaeda inspired groups. Experience here and abroad has identified a range of factors that in combination can lead to individuals supporting or becoming violent extremists. The main objectives of the Prevent strand of CONTEST are informed by this work.
Radicalism: Crime Prevention
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the adequacy of information on extremism available to (a) his Department and (b) the police to enable them to tackle it; and if he will make a statement. [301403]
Mr. Hanson: My Department and the police rely on high quality reporting from a wide range of sources appropriate to different forms of extremism including the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and community tension monitoring information gathered by the police. Through websites, bulletins and bespoke reports relevant information is made available to those at the frontline in the police service and the wider public sector.
Stop and Search: Greater London
Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop-and-searches were
carried out under (a) section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and (b) section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in each London borough in each month since May 2007; and how many searches resulted in (i) an arrest and (ii) a conviction for each type of search. [304307]
Mr. Hanson: Information on stop-and-searches in 2007-08 (the latest period available) under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, in the Metropolitan police force area and City of London, broken down by quarter, are provided in the following table.
Data broken down by month and London borough are not available as the information reported to the Home Office on stop and searches are broken down by police force area and quarter only.
Information on stops and searches conducted in 2008-09 is scheduled to be published in March 2010.
| Stop-searches and resultant arrests under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, by quarter and police force area, Greater London 2007-08 | |||||
| Number | |||||
| Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 | Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 | ||||
| Searches | Resultant arrests | Searches | Arrests for possession of an offensive weapon or dangerous instrument | Arrests for other reasons | |
Terrorism: Detainees
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to bring forward proposals to increase the maximum period for pre-charge detention for terrorist suspects; and if he will make a statement. [304030]
Mr. Hanson: There are no plans for the Home Secretary to bring forward legislation to extend the maximum period for pre-charge detention at this time.
Work Permits
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the work permits granted on the basis of intra-company transfer in respect of non-EU IT contractors in the last five years were valid on the latest date for which figures are available. [303040]
Mr. Woolas: The work permit arrangements closed on 26 November 2008 and were replaced by the Points Based System.
The number of work permits granted during the period 1 January 2004 to 26 November 2008 on the basis of intra-company transfers in respect of non-EU IT employers that were still valid on 27 November is 31,660.
Figures are rounded to nearest 5.
The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for a work permit on the basis of intra-company transfer were (a) made and (b) granted in respect of non-EU IT contractors in each of the last (i) five years and (ii) eight quarters; and if he will make a statement. [303041]
Mr. Woolas: The work permit arrangements closed on 26 November 2008 and were replaced by the Points Based System.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) under what circumstances service personnel serving in Afghanistan are not issued with a personal morphine capsule; [300265]
(2) whether all service personnel entering theatre in Afghanistan have been issued with a personal morphine capsule. [300266]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 23 November 2009]: Personal morphine auto injectors are issued to service personnel in Afghanistan rather than personal morphine capsules. They should be issued to all service personnel who deploy "outside the wire" of the main operating bases. Those staff who work in the main operating bases, Camp Bastion and Kandahar Airfield, are issued with personal morphine auto injectors if the threat level dictates they should.
The only circumstance when personal morphine auto injectors should not be issued to service personnel in Afghanistan is when they are based in a main operating base where the threat level does not require it.
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) minor injuries, (b) serious injuries and (c) fatalities among Afghan civilians have been recorded by his Department in Afghanistan in each year since 2001. [303808]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The UK Government do not collate or publish figures for civilian casualties in Afghanistan because of the immense difficulty and risks of collecting robust data. Every effort is made to avoid civilian casualties and any that are the result of action by UK armed forces are always a matter of profound regret.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2009, Official Report, column 657W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, how many helicopters have been deployed to Afghanistan as a direct result of the UK-French helicopter initiative. [304349]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The first three helicopters will deploy to Afghanistan this month. We expect a further four helicopters to deploy from late 2010 and up to a further four by 2013.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on sourcing the requirement for ISAF's Operational Reserve Force; and what progress has been made in these discussions. [304361]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The operational reserve force for ISAF has not been filled since 2007. NATO's priority has been to generate operational forces for deployment into theatre rather than the reserve, and this has been the focus of discussions in the alliance.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Pakistani military personnel are (a) assigned, (b) attached and (c) embedded with coalition military forces in Regional Command South. [304368]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There are currently no personnel from the Pakistani armed forces assigned to, attached to or embedded with coalition armed forces in regional command (south). There is a small team of Pakistani military personnel based at the official border crossing point in regional command (south); they are working with Afghan and coalition partners to help facilitate border crossing activity.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British military personnel are (a) embedded with Pakistani military units and (b) based in Pakistan to co-ordinate military operations in support of British military operations in Regional Command South. [304372]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There are currently no UK military personnel embedded with Pakistani military units. There are three UK military staff based at the British high commission in Islamabad, who provide a liaison and co-ordination function between the Pakistani military and UK and NATO operations in Afghanistan, which includes regional command (south).
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what records his Department keeps in respect of civilian contractors killed while working in support of UK operations overseas; how many such contractors have been killed while supporting UK operations in Afghanistan since 2005; and if he will make a statement. [304744]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: We have a record of the civilian contractors killed supporting UK forces in Iraq who have been recorded on the memorial wall at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire. We hold some records that have been provided by contractors supporting UK forces in Afghanistan.
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